Grace Under Pressure
by mwendyr
Summary: Alex is given a proposal by a victim and Mike struggles with some of his own issues. Please read and review. Chapter 8 has been posted.
1. Chapter 1

This is something I wrote quite a while ago. It, so far, has two chapters and I'm currently writing the third. I originally posted this on lj until it was beta'd. It now has been beta'd by the fabulous B (cess525). **Thank you **to **Podie1 **and **wasu **for the wonderful reviews for my story "The Trip", more will come soon. I'm working on my block and hopefully it will be gone soon.

Summary: Alex is given a proposal by a victim and Mike has to deal with some of his own issues. (This is not a good summary)

Pairing: Mike/Alex

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own the show but I did write this, I'm borrowing the characters, I will put them back later ;)

Spoilers: Season 3 onwards. Set around Season 6

**Grace Under Pressure**

"You've been trying for a baby?"

Bobby Goren was sitting on the left side of the hospital bed as the question escaped his lips to the woman laying in the bed, shaken up but not visibly injured. The woman nodded as her husband reached to wrap his arms around her, comforting her in a simple way. Alex Eames looked at Mike Logan and then at Bobby before looking at the woman, Claire, again. Claire had been the victim of an attack by a group of people who believed that trying to conceive a child through stem cell research was immoral. "What made you turn to this research?" Bobby asked, another question popping into his brilliant mind.

The husband, Josh, answered for his wife, "It seemed every other way was a dead end."

"How so?" Mike asked, causing Bobby to glance at him as if he'd forgotten Mike existed.

Josh shrugged, "Nobody was kind enough to help us." He looked from Mike to Alex, to Megan and then back to Bobby, "It seems that the only people a person cares about these days are themselves." He sounded bitter and unhappy with the world.

"What led you to choose this particular research method?" Megan asked, curious as to why they would go for something so controversial.

The couple shared a look, "Well, we'd tried everything else, and the woman who'd agree to be a surrogate for us... just took off ... with our baby." Tears began to fall from her eyes as she recalled the horror she had felt before when they'd discovered the mother had abandoned them. Claire had expected more; the woman had been kind enough to do so much but when it seemed to matter the most, she changed her mind. Alex looked at Mike for a split second before dropping her eyes to the floor. "I mean, what kind of woman does that?"

"You know-" Bobby started, softly, clasping his hands together and looked at Claire carefully, "-Some people in this world are capable of selflessness." Bobby looked towards his partner, and noticed how her head had snapped up in surprise. "My partner is selfless and has helped someone before."

Claire immediately switched her gaze from Bobby to Alex. "Really? You've had a baby for someone else?" Alex's eyes began darting everywhere around the room and eventually settling on Bobby; anger flared behind them although he had not mentioned it directly, he implied it and that was enough for her. Though looking at Claire, she realised what Bobby was trying to do and she could understand that. Alex found herself nodding numbly; watching as Claire seemed to allow this information to sink in, slowly turning to Bobby who had a small proud look on his face.

"You see, good people do exist." Bobby reiterated his point; he hadn't meant to reveal personal details about his partner. Alex looked towards Mike who had a sympathetic look on his face.

Claire nodded, slowly understanding. "But only one?"

Bobby blinked, "Excuse me?"

"You could only think of one example?" She asked, not waiting for an answer as she turned back to Alex, "Could you help us?"

Alex felt her whole body weight drop to her feet; the proverbial truck had hit her in the form of an innocent question. Guilt, fear and anger rippled through her senses like a hurricane as Claire became a blur in her vision. She knew what this meant to Claire, and she knew how much her rejection would sting but Alex shook her head, "Sorry." Before anyone could say anything else she darted out of the room.

Stunned to see her leave, Bobby stood up to follow her but Mike loosely held out his arm in the 'stop' signal. "I'll go." Mike walked out of the hospital room before Bobby could argue with him.

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There was something bitter about the bench she was sitting on; broken and twisted, old and over-used. Matching her sour mood and her inner gloom. The past two days had been gut-wrenchingly difficult for her, with no-one to speak to for fear of anything escaping the mouths of those she spoke to and it winding up in the ears of the person she couldn't risk finding out. The last thing she wanted to hear was a request from a heartbroken woman, looking as distraught as her sister had, asking her to carry a child for her.

She couldn't do that! She couldn't go through all of that again, not right now and she wasn't sure she could ever do that again. Her mind was reeling at the thought and the anger that had welled up inside her was threatening to erupt into a fit of tears; an eruption she was trying desperately to stifle and stiffen. Her battle raged inside for minutes and she felt almost victorious until a masculine hand was softly placed on her shoulder, forcing the tears to fall the moment she looked up into his face.

Mike's face of concern fell into confusion before he felt the strong sense of deep, dark and stabbing concern that he wasn't used to feeling; the kind that told him something was terribly wrong. This wasn't like her to burst into tears, not even when they were at home alone, she would remain strong, not out a need to show strength but because that's who she was. He quickly sat down beside her and engulfed her, his arms wrapping around her as if he could provide shelter from her inner turmoil. "Alex?" He spoke quietly as he held her, unable to see her face and unsure of where to tread.

He heard her mumble into his jacket, "I can't... I can't do that again." He heard a sniffle and he heard her take a breath. like she was struggling to breathe. so he loosened his grip on her, not that he thought he was causing her trouble. "I don't-don't want to go through that again." She pulled her head away from him and the anger flashed in her eyes. "I'm not a damn baby factory, who the hell told her she could order one from alexeames dot com?"

He was surprised by the outburst but he knew he shouldn't have been, "Come on, you-"

"No, it's not fair to ask somebody to do that. She should apply for one like everyone else does." She continued, interrupting him as her anger took stride.

"Nobody is asking you to do that!" Mike resisted the urge to raise his voice, knowing that would not help. She shot him a look of disagreement, "Okay, so she was asking, but no one is forcing you to." The look of defeat on her face was enough to make him pause; there was something else.

"I'm not having a baby for anyone!" She said that with such venom that it nearly knocked Mike over.

He carefully held her arms and gave her direct contact. "Read my lips. Nobody. Is. Making. You." He realized he was coming across as harsh but clearly being soft and gentle wasn't working anyway. She stared at him for a moment, unsure but slowly becoming aware of her surroundings, realizing the absurdity of her actions and her outburst. She looked at him, and nodded as she leaned into him. Alex felt herself calm down inside and that's when she realized she had not told him, he didn't know. He needed to know, she'd been avoiding this for two days and... "Shame though." She felt her head snap up and she looked at him, anger flaring from the two words he'd just spoken with a sarcastic and bitter tongue, but she became confused by the smile. "I was kinda hoping you'd be having one for me...?"

She felt her lungs catch as they refused to release the air. She stared at him and how her mind race. "Y-you know?" He didn't answer. "How do you know?"

Mike raised his brow and regarded her carefully before replying, "It was less about knowing and more about suspecting." He looked directly into her eyes, "Now I know. How long have you known?"

She felt herself swallow air, "Two days."

"Two days?!?" He tried not to raise his voice but he couldn't hold back the sound of shock, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Alex looked at him with sad eyes, "I wanted to." As she said that she could hear how pathetic she sounded, "But I-I wasn't sure how you'd react, I mean it's not like you go all goo-goo-gaa-gaa over babies is it?" She looked at him, afraid that her lips were trembling, "I still don't know what you..." Her sentence trailed off as Mike looked away from her.

She watched him as he watched anything but her. It seemed like an eternity passed before Alex realized that she needed to hear him say something. "Well-" Her desperation cutting through, "Say something."

He finally looked at her, his brow furrowed as he tried to process this, "What do you want me to say?"

She felt herself sigh in frustration, "Not that. Say something about-" she searched for the words, "-about what you're thinking."

"You wanna know what I'm thinking?" He asked, his voice raising slightly but he didn't stand up or move away from her. Although she nodded she wasn't so sure she wanted to know considering his hateful tone of voice. "I'm thinking about how screwed up this is, about how I'm not suitable to be a father and you know that!" Alex shook her head to say she disagreed but he ignored her and continued on, "And honestly-" he paused and looked at her, "-I don't think I'll make a great Dad, I don't handle that much responsibility without screwing it up in some fashion." She looked away from him, unable to bear hearing anymore of his self doubt. He, however, carried on speaking despite her defeated body language. Softly, he said, "And I'm thinking about the fact there's no room in our house for a baby to sleep." Her head snapped back towards him in a twist of confusion and worry. He looked at her, studying her as she did the same to him, "Please don't tell me you thought I was gonna walk away? That's not me."

She shook her head, she hadn't thought that. Her main concern had been how upset he would be and how unhappy it would make him. A miserable Mike was never really the kind of Mike she liked to be around; but as she looked at him she still wasn't sure if he was delighted or disappointed.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews, they are greatly appreciated.

**Podie1 **- I think they'd have an amazingly cute kid, but then I would. Thanks. I hope this chapter is good enough.

Again, a huge thank you to B (cess525) for the beta job.

**Grace Under Pressure**

The next morning didn't arrive with ease. Bobby had spent the entire night wrapped up in guilt whilst Alex and Mike had spent the night together but apart; separated by the words they weren't saying to each other. When Alex figuratively crawled into the squad room, Bobby immediately felt his guilt increase tenfold; believing himself to be the cause of her obvious unwell state of being.

He already had placed a steaming cup of coffee at her desk. Along with a packet of skittles, knowing full well she'd ignore the traditional breakfast snacks and go straight for the sweets. Bobby felt his hope drop when she pushed the coffee aside and placed the skittles in her desk drawer, looking green as she did so.

"Eames...?" He started but couldn't finish. His mind tip-toeing on the brink of insanity as he realized she might actually hate him for what he'd done yesterday.

Alex sighed and looked at him, her face full of confusion as he looked at her with worry. "What?" She asked, genuinely confused. He couldn't bring himself to say it but he gazed towards the coffee cup and she followed his line of sight. "Oh." She quickly looked back at him, desperate to try and cover it up before he figured her out. "I-I don't really feel like having a drink right now..." Inwardly she groaned at the sloppy way she'd covered it up; knowing for certain that he had to put it all together in his mind by now, being the genius that he was. Though when she looked up she saw nothing but sadness in his eyes and she was surprised to see guilt written all over his face. It took Alex a significant amount of time before she realised why he might feel guilty. "Oh... Bobby, no, I'm not angry at you, I, honestly, don't feel like drinking caffeine."

Bobby blinked.

His eyes darting from the cup to her face. "Y-you're not?"

Alex shook her head, swallowing the nausea that came with that movement. "No, I'm not. It wasn't your fault that she got the wrong end of the stick."

Bobby nodded, paused over the subject and then looked back at her with worried expression, "Then what's wrong?"

That's when Alex realized she'd stuck her foot in it. Now she had to find another way of covering it up, "I just don't feel very well." She waved her hand dismissively, "Stomach bug."

"Oh." Bobby wasn't buying it but he gave his partner a concerned look. "How long have you had this bug? You should eat-" She shot him a deadly look that knocked him into silence. Bobby quickly raised his hands to show defeat, noticing the threatening look on her face and the piercing way her eyes shot him. "Ok, sorry."

-----------------

Somehow the looming threat to Bobby didn't seem to phase him for long because by the time it was lunch he was already back to badgering her about food. Although to him he was being a concerned and considerate friend, worrying about her well-being; it was enough to drive her insane. Bobby, being the kind partner that he was, had gone to fetch them both a sandwich from the deli but whilst he was tucking into his, she was not touching hers.

The problem was that it wasn't just the morning sickness that had taken away her appetite. It was the way Mike had been so quiet with her ever since he'd found out. She would've preferred that he told her what was going on in his head, instead of keeping it all to himself because he didn't want to upset her. That just served to aggravate her further. The way they'd slept in the same bed, miles apart, had been the worst night she had spent with him since they'd begun dating. Alex found the idea that he wouldn't walk away from this noble and a decent thing to do, and she appreciated it but she didn't want this to make him miserable and she couldn't help but want him to be happy about it.

"...Eames?"

Bobby's voice seemed miles away but it was slowly pulling her back to reality; she didn't want to come back however and she was trying to ignore that she'd heard him.

"Alex?"

The sound of Mike calmly saying her name brought her back to reality with a snap. She looked up to see him standing behind Bobby, who had turned around to look at him. She shot him a quizzical look as he glanced at her untouched sandwich. "I'm going to get some lunch, you wanna come with?"

Alex looked down at the sandwich and curled her nose up at the idea of food but when she looked back at Mike she saw something else in his eyes. Pleading? She wasn't quite sure what it was but it was enough to make her realise that she should go with him instead of staying in the office to poke at the unwanted sandwich of doom. She nodded, standing up to get her coat. Before she left the office, she grabbed the offending sandwich and passed it to her partner, "Here. Thanks."

"Maker her eat!" Bobby called out after them as they walked out of the squad room.

As they walked towards the elevator, Mike softly placed his hand on the small of her back. "You've not eaten?" He asked.

She shook her head as the elevator doors opened, sighing as they walked into the small space together. "No." The doors closed and she allowed herself the moment to at least pretend that everything was normal between them. "Just morning sickness."

She expected him to roll his eyes or ignore the comment completely, but instead Mike said, "Oh, so does it last all morning?"

Alex looked at him, dazed for a moment as she allowed the question to process. "No."

"No?" He asked, seemingly curious.

Shaking her head, she said, "No, it lasts all day!"

A confused but concerned look graced his features, "Will you eat anything at all?"

"Probably later."

"Good." He grinned and she frowned. He leaned into her as the elevator reached it's destination. "I'm taking you out to dinner tonight."

Still frowning, they walked out into the corridor and headed towards the building exit. "You are?" She asked, perplexed at the thought.

"Yep." She looked up at him as he wrapped his arm around her softly. "Just 'cause. You'll find out later."

"You're being purposely mysterious, aren't you?" She asked, an air of sarcasm to her.

He grinned, "I am."

Alex growled in frustration, "You know I hate that!"

Mike couldn't help but laugh at her reaction but it left Alex more puzzled and worried than she had been before. Her mind racing over the prospect of Mike wanting to tell her one of two things, the first being he was happy about everything and that they would be okay, the second one being the complete opposite of the first. Alex looked up at him and he seemed fine, just more introspective than usual and quieter.

She had to hope that that was a good sign but her nausea returned at the thought of him going for the second one.

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By evening she had barely eaten anything except for toast so when they reached the restaurant she felt famished and hungry but was too nervous to even consider food. Mike could see her anxiety written all over her face and he wanted to quickly get this over with for her benefit, but he still hadn't quite come up with the words to say or the correct form.

The waiter seated them to a table; one that was thankfully secluded and away from most of the other guests. Alex gingerly sat in the seat, never ceasing to take her eyes from Mike in case she missed a clue or something that told her what he was planning to say. She never imagined he would make her this nervous, but then she hadn't exactly imagined she'd be having a baby with him either so she truly was walking on foreign ground.

"Can I get you some drinks?" The waiter asked politely, with a smile and a generous amount of customer service; fishing for a tip.

Mike just shrugged, "Beer, whatever you have on tap."

The waiter looked at Alex, "Ma'am, we have a great selection of wines-"

Alex lifted her hand up to stop him, "Water will do just nicely, thanks." He just nodded in response, a little put off by her seemingly rude behavior. His mind already racing through a thousand insults about customers and how they could learn to be a little bit friendlier.

Mike looked at her with raised eyebrows but he didn't comment on it. She looked back at him and tried to smile before launching herself into a ramble, "Okay, look, whatever it is you plan to say will you please say it before we order the food because otherwise I'm gonna be sitting here starving but not eating; pushing peas around the plate whilst you sit there and look angsty, pretending to be enjoying it." Alex took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. Mike's brows had already reached his hairline in a mix of surprise and amusement, "And if what you're gonna say is gonna hurt than say it quickly and get it over with!" Her quickly spoken words brought Mike a moment of confusion whilst he tried to figure out what she had said. Her voice had raised an octave, practically ordering him to speak, but her eyes were diverted by the glass of water that appeared in front of her. Mike gestured a quick thanks to the poor clueless waiter who walked away feeling more confused.

Ignoring the beer now sitting before him, Mike smirked at her. "Finished?" Alex didn't reply, she just looked at him with an impatient look on her face. "I already said that I wasn't going to walk away."

Alex sighed. "I don't want to be an obligation to you, Mike."

He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. "You're not."

"Really?" She asked, not sounding as sure as he did. He nodded, unsure of how to convince her otherwise. "Then say something other than how you plan to _not_ walk away."

Words failed him at the time when he needed them the most. He wasn't used to this kind of situation and he was doubting the success of all of the words he'd planned to say before. So, instead of trying to recaptured his vocabulary, he pulled his chair around the table so that he was sitting beside her. The feet of the chair scraping against the surface of the floor, causing one or two people to look at them with frowns on their faces.

Alex felt herself blush with embarrassment at the way Mike was drawing attention to them, but it was quickly replaced with shock as he captured her lips and locked himself to her, trying to convey the words through body language instead. For a moment, Alex struggled against him but she became intoxicated, eventually relaxing against him before remembering where they were.

The only person watching them was their waiter, who was now suspiciously eyeing the beer tap; turning to his colleague he said, "What the hell is in this beer?"

Mike felt her pull away and he allowed her too, looking at no one else but her. "Uh, so?" She asked and he rolled his eyes.

"So... I'm happy, I'm okay." He replied, not wanting to have to get all sentimental on her. Keeping his voice low, "I thought about it a lot last night and I am okay, a little bit... I dunno, nervous. But I swear, I'm not seeing you as some sort of pregnant ball and chain." Alex closed her eyes in a mix of relief and embarrassment. "So..." He eyed the menu and turned back to her to see her eyes were open. "Can you eat now? Or do I have to force feed you?"

Alex groaned, "You're not going to become overprotective are you?"

Mike grinned, "Hell yeah, for the whole nine months!" This caused Alex to sigh in frustration, "You're stuck with me!"

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TBC


	3. Chapter 3

I don't know if I like this chapter or not, it needs a beta who knows the show and knows the characters. :( I think it's a little choppy, but I want to put it out to see what you all think. Please let me know what needs improvement, and please feel free to volunteer yourself as beta. ::hint hint::

Please review. :)

**Grace Under Pressure**

"Woah!"

The exclamation that came from Mike Logan's mouth was loud enough to cause Alex Eames to immediately stop walking, giving him a worried look. Mike was standing by the door to the house, with his leather jacket on; preparing to leave as they went to visit her parents for some family barbeque, which had a compulsory attendance for Alex, and she intended to drag Mike along. Alex had walked toward the door, and was stopped by Mike's loud, shocked voice. "What?" She asked, alarmed. "Is something wrong?"

"No." He replied, quickly. Looking at her, up and down, taking her all in.

She noticed what he was doing and frowned, "What?"

Mike smiled, after he finished admiring her entire body, "You know how they say pregnant women have that glow about them?" Alex shot him a confused look, "Well, I need my shades to look at you." Her eyes rolled at his obvious sarcasm. "I'm being serious. I thought that was just a stupid expression but it's true." Mike seemed to be genuinely amazed to the point where it forced Alex to look down at herself, to see if she was actually glowing.

"Mike..." She shook her head to say she didn't agree with what he was saying. Mike just took the two steps that closed the gap between them.

"I'm being serious." He showed her his most genuine facial expression. "You look beautiful."

Alex rolled her eyes, "You can tell that I'm pregnant?" Mike nodded but Alex looked down at her abdomen and quickly pulled away from him, "If it's obvious, then I'm not going."

Mike frowned deeply, "What?!"

"Because if it's obvious to you, then my Mom is gonna get it in 2 seconds flat."

With a confused look on his face, he asked, "But you want her to know, don't you?" Mike was sure that Alex had told him that she'd wanted to talk to her mother about some issues that only she could help with.

"Yes." She replied, raising her voice. "But I don't want her to blurt it out to everyone as soon as I walk through that door!"

He walked back toward her, silently wondering if this was related to those pregnancy hormones he'd heard about. "Wouldn't that save us the trouble of having to tell everyone?" he asked, with a small smile.

Alex, however, didn't look impressed. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing that would be?"

He looked at her for a moment, seriously thinking about how that might play out before he nodded, "Yeah, I can imagine it would be a little embarrassing." Alex slumped her shoulders in defeat and stood silent for a moment. "Look, maybe I can tell because I know...?" He suggested with a shrug, after a moments of silence had hung between them.

As Alex sighed her cell phone began to ring in her coat pocket. She looked at Mike somberly before answering the call. "Eames... Yeah, we're just coming now... Okay, see you later, bye." She quickly snapped the cell phone shut and stuffed it back into her pocket. She looked up at Mike, who had a curious and quizzical look on his face. "Okay." She told him, "Let's go." Mike was stunned as he witnessed her do a full 180 degrees on her whether she was going to the BBQ or not. Alex went straight past him and out the door before turning back to him, with a frown on her face, "Are you coming?"

Mike nodded as he turned to face her, still looking confused, "Sure." He quickly followed her out the door and closed it behind him.

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Despite her worries about her mother being able to tell that Alex was expecting, she found that when she greeted her mother it was the same as always. If Maggie Eames could tell her daughter was pregnant, she did not show it. Alex listened to her tone of voice, watched her body language and facial expressions to see if there was any sign she knew, but there was none. When there was no sign of one, Alex had turned to Mike and he'd shrugged, he hadn't really believed her mother would've been able to tell.

Now they were sat outside on small garden chairs, surrounded by a dozen members of her family, all with different varying topics between them. Alex and Mike were not paying attention to any of the conversations around them; they were simply sat against the house wall, talking in hushed tones to each other as they tried to keep their conversation away from the others. "You're not going to tell her, are you?" Mike said, quietly as he leaned into her ear.

Alex shrugged, looking towards her mother, who was sat on a recliner with her eyes closed. "She doesn't look very well."

Mike followed Alex's line of sight and immediately took in the way Maggie seemed to be incredibly tired. Mike looked back at Alex, and whispered with a hint of sarcasm, "Maybe she's having a baby too?"

As she rolled her eyes, Alex shook her head, "I don't think so."

Comfortable silence passed between them until Mike finally added, "Listen, you said you wanted to speak to her about it. I may not be some freaky psycologist but something _is _bothering you. Go talk to her!" The last part sounded like an order. Alex twisted her neck again to look at him; a resigned look on her face. Mike leaned into her to ensure no one else heard him, not that there was much chance of that since they were all talking very loudly, "You said last night that your Mom could help you, you didn't say what with, but I'm assuming it's the baby?"

Alex nodded, looking at Mike and then back towards where her mother lay, resting in the shade. "I don't know that-"

"-Hey Alex, you want some hot dogs?" Jo, her sister, yelled out to her, completely interrupting what Alex had started to say. Both Mike and Alex looked up at Jo, who was stood next to the grill next to their father, John Eames. Alex felt her stomach churn at the very thought of a hot dog, as she felt herself turn a shade of green she shook her head at her sister.

"No-" She started but quickly covered her mouth with her hand as she quickly bolted back inside the house. Mike watched her go, startled, before turning back to Jo, who had a look of sheer concern on her face, shocked by her younger sisters' hasty retreat. Jo exchanged a worried glance with her father, who seemed just as baffled as Jo.

Mike had noticed that everyone had grown eerily silent, and was now looking at him with puzzled frowns on their faces. He looked at them all for a moment before giving them his best happy-and-nothing-is-wrong smile and said, "She clearly doesn't want any, more for me!" He grinned, but no one else made an effort to smile or move. No one except for Alex's mother, who was now standing up and walking towards the house.

"I got this." She softly told everyone, "Get back to what you were all doing." Maggie smiled at Mike, who just simply nodded at her; grateful that he hadn't ended up having to go up to Maggie himself and get her to talk to her own daughter. He wasn't so good with handling mothers.

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The knocking sound that came from the door forced Alex to jump a little from shock. Holding her hair back behind her neck with one hand and covering her mouth with the other, she looked towards the door; worried about who was behind it. Hesitating, she spoke out with a croak as her voice argued at the thought of being used, "Yes?"

The sound of her mothers weary voice passed through the wooden door, "Alex? Honey, let me in."

Alex sighed, her mothers sweet voice and sugary words didn't do anything to convince her to open the door, and the thought that passed through her mind was that her mother should know she hated being referred to as 'honey'. "It's okay, Mom. I'm fine." Alex hoped this was convincing, "I'll be out in a minute."

She could practically hear her mother pause on the other side of the door, "Please?" Maggie almost sounded desperate. After a beat, she added, "I know what's wrong."

Within seconds, Alex had rushed over to the door, unlocked it and allowed her mother entrance into the bathroom. The door was immediately closed behind Maggie, who had barely had chance to walk in the room. Alex regarded her mother with suspicion, "Who have you told?"

Maggie sat on the edge of the bathtub and looked at her youngest daughter with a frown, and then disappointment. "No one, why would you think I did?"

Alex sighed, shaking her head slightly as she turned away from her mothers cutting eyes before turning back to her with a defeated look, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." Maggie simply nodded, not really upset with Alex, knowing full well that her youngest daughter could be blunt especially when she wasn't feeling well.

A moments silence passed between them, one that was uncomfortable and hung in the air like an unwanted smell. "Alex?" Maggie finally said, causing Alex to turn back to her as she waited for Maggie to continue with what she had to say. "How far along are you?"

Despite hesitation in answering, when Alex finally spoke she remained calm and collected, "11 weeks."

Nodding, Maggie continued, "Were you going to tell me?"

Alex offered her mother a sad look and nodded, "Yes, I was. I just..." Her sentence trailed off. Maggie just continued to wait patiently for her daughter to carry on but Alex didn't make a move to speak.

"Tell me." Maggie spoke softly but the words were very much a command.

"You're gonna say I'm being stupid. I already know." Alex replied, cryptically, causing her mother to frown.

"Oh?" Maggie asked, trying to get Alex to talk about it anyway.

Sighing, Alex finally confessed, "I had this dream a week ago... I was-" she cleared her throat, afraid of the very thought she might cry, "-having the baby, and Jo came in." Alex looked at Maggie as she felt tears sting her eyes; threatening to fall if she continued, "Jo came in and took-took the baby." Alex quickly turned away from her mother, ashamed at herself for having the dream in the first place, and for sharing her stupidity with her mother. "I only had the dream once but I can't get it out my mind." Maggie looked up at her daughter and, using her hand, she pulled Alex's chin back towards her face so that they could make eye contact.

"That's not stupid, it's a little-" Maggie paused whilst trying to find the right word, "-little depressing but not stupid." Maggie tried to offer Alex a comforting smile as she pulled her hand away from Alex's face. "You know your sister would never do that."

Alex nodded, sadly, "I know."

"And I know that when you did have little Nathan, we all got swept up in the excitement and I don't think we were very-" she paused again, wanting to find the right word, "-considerate of your feelings but that isn't gonna happen this time." There was a beat so silence before Maggie quickly added, "Unless you and Jo have been planning something without letting us know?"

That brought a smile to Alex's face. There was no way in hell that Alex and Jo could have planned something as big as that with their mother knowing. Shaking her head, "No."

"Does Mike know?"

"No."

"He doesn't know about the baby?" Maggie asked, incredulous, thinking that she'd misread the way Mike seemed extra protective of her.

Alex quickly corrected her, "No, he knows that I'm pregnant, he doesn't know about the dream."

Maggie laughed at the way they had misinterpreted each other, "What does he think?"

This time, Alex knew exactly what her mother was referring to. Alex sat down on the side of the bathtub, next to her mother. "I'd be lying if I said he was excited about it, but he's okay with it."

Maggie smiled, "Give him time, he'll be excited soon enough." Alex, however, wasn't so sure. She shot her mother a 'Yeah right' look. "Seriously, when he feels that baby kick he'll be excited, trust me." Alex laughed at the mental image that sentence conjured up, somehow she just couldn't imagine Mike getting over excited over this, but she had to admit he did seem happy if not content. "Going back to Jo, have you thought about maybe telling her about the baby?" Alex shrugged and then shook her head, she didn't want the attention from everyone in her family. "Maybe tell her about the dream?"

"No." Alex replied, firmly. "That would just upset her." Standing up, Alex crossed her arms in front of her and gave her mother a determined look. "I need to stop being stupid. I _know _my sister wouldn't do that, I don't know why I keep thinking about it but it wouldn't do any good to upset Jo."

Maggie stood up and nodded, understanding but hoping that Alex may change her mind later, "You gonna come back outside because I bet they're all starting to worry... besides, now they've seen you run off, obviously sick, it won't take them long to put two-and-two together."

That caused Alex to groan, "Great."

-----------------

The dark room blurred in her vision; the sound of beeps and mechanical tones pierced her ears like sharp knives. Her breathing was ragged against the sound of voices in the room; a female voice that was annoyingly calm to her heightened sense of fear and panic. Awake and alert enough to be able to recognise the pulsating pain in her body was that of labor and the excrutiating pain she was feeling was a contraction forcing her to push. The female voice becoming clearer "...5, 6. 7, 8..." as her voice moved into the foreground, so did the anger and pain.

Uncontrollably, unwillingly and almost embarrassingly, Alex Eames screamed as she pushed. As she did so the blur of the room disappeared and she realised where she was. She was in a hospital, surrounded by nurses, doctors and... Jo Eames? Her sister? Alex scrambled to find her voice, "Jo? Where's Mike...?"

Her sister smiled at her, a soothing voice escaping her mouth, "It's okay."

When the pain returned with a sharp reminded of it's existence, Alex closed her eyes and forgot her sister as she screamed from the sheer agony. Her screams were suddenly echoing as if she had more than one voice. It took several seconds for Alex to realise the sound she was hearing wasn't her own cries, it was that of the baby she'd just delievered. Her eyes flew open and she gasped. "Jo?"

Her sister smiled lovingly at her, as she cradled the newborn child in her arms and took those harsh steps towards the door...

...A chilling scream filled the bedroom like a bolt of thunder. It forced Mike Logan to sit up straight as sleep abandoned him, immediately alarmed at the sound. Turning around so he could see Alex his concern inccreased as she lay completely still; still, except for her harsh breathing and trembling body. "Alex?"

Shaking her head at him, she tried to shrug it off, "It was just a dream." But her voice betrayed her as it quivered and trembled, whispering the truth behind her own words.

-----------

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

I wrote one scene in this because I felt it important to show that Alex isn't the only Eames' who actually lives. They're not just placeholders, they have lives too and I feel that sometimes that's not shown enough.

Also, I thought it important to reiterate the Bobby/Alex friendship/partnership that you see on the show and I enjoy. As always feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you to **Podie1 **and **wasu **for your reviews, they are cherished.

**Podie1 **- New Mom anxieties might be the best explanation, although there is a twist on them, since the last time she had a baby, it wasn't for her, it was for Jo. As for Jo doing something psycho? Eh, you know me :P Thanks for reviewing, as always I look forward to them.

**wasu **- Thank you for your thoughts on my writing. Every comment helps boost my confidence, which often drops so I thank you for your review.

Anyway, on with the story...

**Grace Under Pressure**

Alex had bolted out of the the bed and rushed toward the bathroom. Mike knew he didn't stand a chance of getting in there when he heard the door lock. "Alex?" He called out but she didn't respond. He put his ear to the door and all he could hear was the retching sound of her being sick. Mike rubbed his face, trying to rub the sleep away from his eyes. His mind was still a little foggy but he could still hear her chilling scream in his ears, he was fairly certain women suffering from morning sickness didn't scream before they threw up, although he couldn't be completed sure. "Alex? Please?" He tried again but to no avail.

He decided that she'd have to come out eventually so he leaned against the wall and waited for her to come out. Being a cop he was used to having to wait and watch, he hoped she wouldn't be hours.

Alex finally emerged from the bathroom about 20 minutes later with tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes. She opened the door with one hand and rested her other against her lips. Mike took in her sick appearance and he immediately asked, "Are you alright?" She shrugged and slowly wandered back into the bedroom. Mike frowned but he followed her. "What was that dream about?" He wanted her to tell him because her reaction was so intense and physically harsh that he was overwhelmed with worry and concern.

"Nothing." She replied, as she sat on the foot of the bed and laid back, she was taking deep breaths as she tried to calm her nausea.

Mike sighed, knowing that she knew he wasn't that dumb and that it was obviously something. "You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

Alex took a steadying deep breath and shook her head. Mike sighed, frustrated, he walked round the bed and climbed back inbetween the sheets. "Fine." He hadn't meant to sound so hurt by her brush off but he was trying to be the caring father-to-be and she was being purposely evasive in her answers to his concern.

Alex looked up at him from her position on the bed and sighed, "It's just a dream. It doesn't matter what it was."

He sat back up and gave her an incredulous look, which she could not completely make out because his face was upside down in her view. "It doesn't matter?! That scream that you let out said otherwise. And don't tell me that doesn't mean anything either because I know you, you usually avoid screaming down the house at 5 in the morning."

Sighing she sat up, immediately regretting the action so she quickly laid back down. Mike watched her with a sigh, she was obviously sick. She saw his concern written all over his face, "It's morning sickness, I'll be fine."

Mike shuffled down the bed so he was at the same level as she, "At 5 in the morning?"

Alex snorted, "At least it's in the morning."

"True." Mike said, remembering how many times Alex had spent being sick in the afternoon and evening as well.

Silence fell between them as Mike tried desperately to find a way to get her to tell him what her dream was about, worried that she didn't want to share it because it had been about him whilst Alex tried to erase the images from her dream out of her mind. Her sister's haunting smile and the way the sound of the baby crying seemed to elevate in volume as she walked out the door was frightening and it only served to bring a lump into her throat. Alex turned her head to look at Mike, "Promise me something?"

Mike looked at her, he could hear the strain in her voice and he could see the worry behind her eyes. He could see this was serious and he held that feeling in the pit of his stomach she was about to ask for something incredibly important. "What?" He asked, gently. "Promise you what?"

"Be there." Alex replied, cryptically.

Mike frowned, "Be where?"

She turned her whole body so that she was laying on her side, facing him with a very serious expression on her face, "When I go into labor and I have the baby. Promise me you will be there?"

"Of course I'd be there." Mike replied, silently wondering why she'd thought he wouldn't. He asumed he was meant to be there when that happened, wasnt he? "Why would you think I'd not-"

"-Just please, promise?" Alex interrupted, she didn't want to talk about her dream, she just wanted assurance he'd be there to stop anything from remotely coming true; Mike had been absent in her dream, and she wanted him to be there when it was real.

Even though his confusion remained and even though she had not explained anything to him, he said, "I promise."

---------------------------

Bobby Goren knew his partner well, at least he liked to think so. He always believed that they had a great bond and connection that went beyond that of normal partners, they worked cohesively as one unit, they read each other well enough to know when they were happy or sad, hurt or delighted. They usually kept that kind of communication related to the job at hand, it worked well when they used it to break a case or knock down a suspect. Lately, it hadn't been quite like that, his partner kept leaving the room unexpectedly and she was changing her usual habits, ones that he'd always seen her do; such as she would always have coffee at her desk whilst doing paperwork or research, most afternoons she'd eat skittles and she was rarely late. Now she was coming in late at with alarming regularity and she always looked incredibly fatigued. Bobby also noted that Mike Logan seemed to be keeping a closer eye on her than usual.

He also had a good idea what the problem was, he knew it wasn't him. With one eye on the leather porfolio and the other on her, he silently watched and paid attention to her as she drove them back downtown to One Police Plaza. He watched as she rubbed her face and neck with one hand as she kept the other on the steering wheel, covering her mouth for a moment. Bobby thought she looked sick, she was certainly very pale. Her face was full of worry lines and it looked like she wasn't even aware she was being watched-

-"I can see you watching me, Goren! Stop it or I'm gonna poke your eyes out." Alex said, with attitude, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.

Bobby couldn't help but smile at the way she'd caught him out, "I-I'm just worried about you, Eames."

"So worried you thought it'd be a good idea to stare at me?" Alex asked, sarcastically, not wanting to know what he was worried about nor did she offer any words to ease his worry.

"N-no." Bobby stammered in response, a little taken back but he recovered. "I mean, I've noticed you're sick, and that you're not eating properly. I-I think I know what's wrong."

Alex shot him a quick glance before turning her attention back to her driving, "Oh? Care to enlighten me?"

Bobby hesitated but he complied with the request, "You're fuller i-in the body-" he held his hand around his own chest, which she could make out through her peripheral vision, "-you're sick, mostly in the mornings. You seem very protective of your-" he lowered his hand towards his own stomach, "-abdomen and-"

"-Okay! I get it. You know that I'm pregnant." Alex cut him off, not wanting him to continue listing her symptons. With a sigh, she glanced upwards and said, "I should've known you'd have noticed."

"How far along are you?" Bobby asked, curious but happy for his partner.

Alex smiled uncontrollably as she replied, "About 12 weeks."

After a moment's silence, Bobby suddenly thought out aloud, "You and Logan are having a child." He seemed so happy with the idea, and he was pleased that she was getting the opportunity to carry a child that would be hers.

Unable to keep from pulling his leg, Alex replied, "Actually, the father is Captain Ross but please don't tell anyone, we want it to be a secret."

Bobby looked at her for a moment, in confusion. "I've n-not noticed any signs of you and Ross..." His sentence trailed off as he noticed her smirk, "You're messing with me. I can't believe I fell for that."

Alex burst out laughing at the annoyed look Bobby was giving her.

---------------------------

The magazines, books and papers were strewn across the table like they had been thrown there in a careless manner. Alex glanced at them, casually browsing each book title and subject so she could figure out why her dining table was now covered in literature. Her curiosity peeked when she realised that each item had something to do with DIY. With a soft frown on her face, she turned away in time to see Mike looking at her with his own curious look. Catching his look, she prodded her thumb back towards the littered table, "You been taking up some light reading?"

Mike shrugged, "I figured you'd be a bit more than pissed if I knocked a hole in your house without knowing how to fix it."

Alex glanced back at the books and then shot Mike a disagreeing look, "You're _not _knocking any holes in this house." After a beat, she softly added, "And it's our house."

"Look, the kid has to sleep somewhere." Mike argued, without raising his voice or taking any negative stance with her.

She had no choice but to see his logic, however, she couldn't understand why he would want to do the building work, "We could get a contractor to do that."

Mike gave her an incredulous look, "Can we afford one?"

The look he gave her, and the look she returned gave them both the answer; no, they couldn't.

"Mike, I'm having a hard time seeing you as the handyman with the tool belt and chain saw."

Mike grinned at her comment, "Yeah, but just think how sexy that would be." She just rolled her eyes at him. "I promise I won't knock the whole house down, I just think we need to start planning what this kid needs..." Mike trailed off as the smile on Alex's face grew to the point where it almost reached ear to ear. "What?"

The smile remained as she softly said, "I never realised how practical you could be."

"Then this is a learning curve for us both." Mike retorted, with his own smile. He'd never say it but he was pleased she was smiling. Since they had discovered she was pregnant, Alex had gone through every emotion except for the one he'd expected her to be; happy. The nightmares that she was having were worrying for him, and not just because he didn't know what they were about but because she hadn't told him what they were about. That troubled him more than the way she murmured in her sleep from the discomfort of her dreams. "Maybe someone from your family knows more about it than I do?"

Alex shrugged in response, "Possibly, and speaking of, I have to go out for a while."

"Why?" Mike asked, curiously, wondering where she had to go.

"Seems Katie has something important to say to us, and I _have _to be there." Alex replied, rolling her eyes as she remembered her sister's insistent tone of voice.

Mike chuckled at her reaction before quickly adding, "I don't have to go-" he paused, "-do I?"

Alex shook her head, "No, you can stay here and brush up on your DIY." She told him, giving him the permission to continue with his plans; she liked how he was being so practical and thoughtful with the whole thing.

It was enough to earn a satifsfactory, cockeyed grin from Mike. Alex smiled back at him as she reached for her coat, "You telling them?" Mike asked.

"About the baby?" Alex looked at him to see him nod in response, "No, you're not getting out of it that easily. You willbe there when _we_ tell them." Alex walked toward him, pulling her coat over her shoulders and pulling her car keys out of the pocket. She gave him a quick kiss and then smiled, "I won't be long... I hope."

"Knowing your family, you might be quite a while." Mike told her with a chuckle. He gently held her arm and kissed her again.

When he finally released her lips, she asked, "So, you can make me some food while I'm gone?"

"Food?"

Alex nodded, "Well, I am eating for two."

"Well-" Mike started, looking towards the kitchen and back at Alex's face, "-I'll see what I can do."

----------------------

The basement had that smell of being unoccupied for a while, like it needed some air freshner and fast. Alex even felt herself cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve as she sat next to Jo, on the old and broken sofa that had been resting in the basement for many years. Her brothers; John, Steve and Eric were all sat on stools as they remained like gentlemen and allowed their sisters to have the "comfortable" chairs. Katie was the only one standing up, the pensive expression on her face pale face was enough to send her siblings into apprehensive silence.

"So, c'mon Kate, what is this about?" John asked, he was the eldest of the six and was always considered the elusive one since they rarely saw him. He spent most of his time working at the Fire House, which often meant he slept there and thus never had time to come to all the social gatherings and family events that the rest of them did.

"Yeah, you've dragged us out of our plans." Eric commented, with a sigh.

Alex looked at him with a frown, "What plans did you have?"

Eric grinned and Alex had her answer.

"What's this one like?" Steve asked his brother, a knowing smile on his face.

Eric gave his brother a small smile, "She's blonde, and she has one of those no-strings-attached attitudes."

"Eric, please!" Jo scolded him, "We don't need to hear about your escapades, thank you!"

"Besides, we're here because Katie had something to say not because you wanted to boast about the hookers you sleep with." Alex told him, sarcastically allowed the comment to roll off her tongue like acid.

Steve snorted with laughter, one that he tried to conceal from his younger brother.

Katie cleared her throat, bringing the attention back to her as she stood in the centre of the room with an unamused look on her face and hands on her hips. She looked at Eric, a scowl forming on her usually soft and gentle face, "Have you finished?" Katie's uncharacteristicly aggressive behaviour forced them all into silence as Eric slowly nodded; confused and slightly afraid of his softer sisters' newfound hostility.

Eric looked at his other two sisters, who both shrugged. Neither of them were aware of anything that would cause their eldest sister to change so drastically. Jo looked up at katie and softly said, "Honey, wanna tell us why you called us here?"

As Jo spoke, Alex suddenly became very aware of the fact that this was the first time all six of Maggie and John's children had been sat together in the basement since her eldest brother had become married, when she was just a young teenager.

Katie sighed, bringing Alex's attention back to the present. "Because I need your help."

When Katie fell silent, without finishing her request or making any further conversation, Alex looked at her with a frown, "With what?"

After a deep breath, she slowly replied, "With Jack."

"Jack?" All of them repeated the name with frowns and questioning looks.

"Jack, as in the ex-husband Jack?" Steve asked, a deep frown burrowing on his face as he regarded his sister with pure confusion.

Katie nodded, "Yes."

They all exchanged looks and then looked back at katie. Alex said, "Why do you need help with Jack? I thought your divorce had gone through?"

They watched as Katie started fidgeting, changing between resting her weight on one leg and then on the other. She hesitated to reply but when she did she blurted it out at an olympic speed, "Because I'm getting back together with him."

After Katie had finished speaking, the room fell into a beat of silence where a pin dropping could be heard before Eric finally said to Steve, "Are my ears playing tricks on me? Did she just say she was getting back together with Jack?"

Steve had a dumbfound expression on his face as he numbly nodded in response.

"Are you mad?!" John squeaked out.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" said Jo, raising her voice in shock as she shot her sister the question.

"I'm not mad." Katie replied, returning to her soft nature, "We just realised we were making a mistake."

"Just realised?" Alex asked, incredulous, forcing her sister to look at her, "Just? You've been going through a three year divorce, there has been plenty of time for you to realise it was mistake."

"What about the kids?" Steve asked, knowing there was more than just Jack and Katie involved.

Katie sighed, sitting on the arm of the sofa, needing the support from something even if it was an inanimate object, "I think Janey may suspect something, David doesn't know anything."

"Have you thought about how this is going to effect them?" John asked, sounding worried.

"Yes, I have." Katie almost snapped back. With a softer voice, she added, "He's their father, this could only be a good thing."

"A good thing would have been for you to remain seperate since they were just getting used to this. You're just messing them about." Jo argued, hoping she didn't come across as aggressive but she realised she had been when Katie stood up and crossed her arms in a protective manner.

"I was kinda hoping for your support."

"I'll be supportive." Alex argued, standing up so that she could follow her sister if she needed to. "But I won't agree with it." Katie looked disappointed, but Alex quickly stepped in before she could continue. "How many times does he have to hurt you before you realise your mistake is getting back with him over and over?"

"Plus, you must know something's not right with it since you clearly don't want mom or dad to know." Eric added, pointing up at the ceiling above them where he presumed that their parents were.

"I don't want them to know." Katie replied, nodding, "And yes, maybe that is a mistake. That's why-why I wanted to talk to you all."

"You want us to keep a secret from mom and dad?" Jo asked, copying the way Eric had pointed to the ceiling.

"Just so that I can see if it will work." Katie nodded, hoping it would work because for some reason she always found herself wanting to go back to the very first man who loved her and the very first man who hurt her.

"Why am I getting the sinking feeling we're all about to be drafted?" Alex asked, with a roll of her eyes.

"Because you are." Katie replied, "I need to keep this from the kids so that-" she looked at Jo, "-I'm not messing them about."

"Oye, babysittin'!" Eric exclaimed, looking up at this ceiling with a huge sigh, everyone knew his forte was not looking after his nieces or nephews.

"It's okay, honey." Jo smiled, standing up and joining her sisters in the middle of the room, "Alex needs all the experience with babysitting." Alex turned to Jo as she noticed a wicked grin forming on her sisters face.

Alex, however, was finding the smile on her face too similar to the one in her dreams and she had to physically swallow the vomit that threatened to push its way up. "What do you mean?" Alex asked, finding the strength to speak and act as if everything was normal.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" John asked, frowing again.

Jo grinned, beaming with excitement and happiness, "Katie isn't the only one with a secret."

Alex felt her eyes almost bug out of their sockets as she looked at Jo, at that moment she knew that her sister had figured her out, "How do you know?"

"Well, I watched you like a hawk last time. Trust me, I can tell."

"Tell what?" Eric and Steve asked, simultaneously.

"Oh my God!" Katie exclaimed, forcing Alex to look at her. "Are you?"

"Is she what?!" The three brothers asked, confused and desperate to know what their sisters were talking about.

"I don't believe it!" Alex almost growled in fustration. "I must be wearing a huge neon sign that tells everybody!"

"I don't see any neon signs." Steve told her, honestly confused.

Alex sighed, lowering her head so that her hair curtained her face from view.

"What's going on?" The voice that boomed around the basement forced all six Eames' to look around at the source of the question. Stunned to find their aging father at the base of the stairs with a confused expression on his face. Each of them exchanged glances, all communicating silently that they had been busted. "I feel like I've gone through a time warp." Johnny Eames continued, baffled out his mind and totally gobsmacked. "What are you all doing here? I seem to remember you all growing up and getting your own basements."

Steve chuckled, "Well dad, we just felt like a jog through memory lane."

Johnny took the last step of the stairs and moved towards them with one raised eyebrow, "Memory lane you say?" His voice sounded suspicious.

"We're certainly running down that lane now." Alex commented with a quiet sarcasm, as she tried not to let her father make her remember how intimidated he'd make them feel when he caught them doing something they shouldn't have been; usually when they were in the basement.

"C'mon then, what are you all doing in my basement?" Johnny asked, looking at each one in turn.

Katie felt herself wish she could burn a hole in the ground and disappear through it. Her need to become invisible disppeared when she felt Jo quietly take her hand in support; the kind of support she'd asked for. "Well, see, we decided that we don't spend enough time around each other. Steve's right, we were jogging down memory lane." Eric replied, smiling at Katie, who was looking at him with a soft yet teary smile.

"Eric, you're always here." Johnny retorted, causing the others to laugh at him.

Eric felt the need to defend himself, "That's because I can't cook."

"Well if you didn't spend your nights with boom boom girls, you'd probably have time to learn how to cook." Alex commented, turning her head to look at him as she smirked and he tried not to be offended by her comment. Steve laughed with high amusement.

Johnny held up his hands in a defeated gesture, "Okay, fine, you don't wanna tell me what's really going on, fair enough." He then added with a tone of voice that spoke volumes about how much he believed he could tell them what to do, "Now all of you, out of my basement."

They looked at each other and then quickly filed out the door before he could ask them any more questions and one of them revealed Katie's secret, or Alex's. John watched them go with pure amusement, he'd honestly liked finding them down there but he couldn't ignore the fact that it was late and usually when they were together, something would go wrong.

Outside the house, Jo was almost squealing in delight as she walked beside Alex, who was trying desperately to reach her car before anything else was revealed without her actually doing the revealing. Jo squeaked, "Oh, wow! You must be so excited. Aren't you excited, honey?" Alex stopped suddenly when Jo reached out to rest a hand on her abdomen.

Alex caught her wrist before contact was made, "Don't!" Jo's face crumpled in hurt and surprise at the aggressive tone Alex had taken. Alex felt herself fight tears as she just begged, "Please, don't!" She didn't want to hurt Jo but as she looked at her, she realised that she had done exactly that. Cursing her own irrationality and trying to ignore the images from her dream, she turned on her heel and, as fast as she possibly could, she rushed back to her car.

That left the others behind, with baffled and confused faces. "Is she pregnant?" Eric finally asked, as the lightbulb flicked on above his head. Nobody had to answer, however, it was obvious.

Jo felt tears sting her face as she looked at Katie, "What did I do?"

Katie shook her head, looking at Jo with great care, "I don't know, sweetie. I don't know."

----------------------

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you** to every single one of you sent me a review. They are greatly appreciated.

**Podie1 **- Thank you, I'm like "wow" everytime you review, if you're not careful my head will explode. I too now have an image of Mike and Alex wearing striped witch socks trapped under a house. LOL

**Andy **- For leaving a review for "Out of Sync" - I have not forgotten that story and I do intend to continue it--however, I seem to have hit a stonewall with my muse in terms of that story, I won't abandon the story so do not fear, it will be updated soon. Thank you for reading my series of MA despite being a BA fan, that's a great compliment to any writer.

**Grace Under Pressure**

Trying to keep her breathing calm but not succeeding; feeling heavy and guilty. The look on her sisters face had been like a kick in the stomach, she knew her sister wasn't the one who had the problem, it was her. Alex didn't enjoy the way her heart pounded when she woke up with a nightmare, she didn't like the way she was concealing it all from Mike and she didn't want to feel afraid of her sister or panic whenever Jo wanted to talk about babies.

It was now raining outside, which suited her mood perfectly and seemed to save her from the need to cry. She stood by the window with her arms tightly crossed under her breasts; waiting for herself to calm down but everytime she felt herself begin to feel more relaxed she remembered the panic that had set in when Jo's hand had reached toward her abdomen.

Jo had been a constant when she was pregnant with her nephew, that was something Alex had understood and she never questioned it. She always allowed Jo to be there, feel the baby kick and get excited to her hearts content. When Jo had reached out to touch her it was the same way she had done before; it was like deja vu, like she was reliving the experience again. She didn't want to go through that again, she didn't want to relive how empty she had felt when the baby had been born and everyone surrounded Jo and the baby boy with excitement and cheers as she tried to recover and not break down in front of them all. Alex could remember how anxious she had been when she was heavily pregnant and the birth loomed closer, how she felt conflicted over her feelings between her head and heart; a head telling her she was doing the right thing and heart was berating her for doing it at all.

She didn't want to relive any of it, not for Jo, not for anybody-

-"I thought I heard you come in." Mike's voice broke through her inner one like a quick punch into reality. "I've put some veget..." Mike's sentence trailed off as he realise she had neither acknowledged him nor turned around. When he heard what sounded like a sniffle, he quickly asked, "Are you okay?" All he could see was the back of her head, her hair swayed slightly as she shook her head in the negative response and Mike frowned, walking over towards the window so he was standing just behind her, "Alex?" She turned to him looking up at his face and wet hair, and then she buried her face in his chest, trying desperately not to fight the tears but losing the battle. Mike couldn't say anything, he didn't know what to say, so he just wrapped his arms around her.

They stayed that way for what felt like hours but it was really on a few minutes. Alex pulled away and began to vigorously rub any remaining tears from her eyes as if they were poison. Mike watched her with concern, "Alex, what's going on?"

She stepped away from him and walked towards the sofa, never reaching it, "Nothing."

"Like hell is it nothing!" Alex turned back in surprise to his raised voice, "I want to know what's going on. You're having nightmares, you're crying, and I know something is bothering you so you've got to tell me."

"I don't have to tell you." Alex argued back.

"Yes, you do. I've already started to put some of it together on my own, I'd rather hear it from you."

With raised eyebrows, she asked, "Just what exactly have you put together?"

Mike sighed, "It's about your sister and the baby." Alex was shocked, she didn't remember telling him about that. Mike continued, hesitating as if treading on thin ice, "It's why you wanted me to promise to be there, isn't it?"

"How did you figure all that out?" Alex asked, incredulous at how much he'd picked up on. Silently wondering why everybody could figure her out all of a sudden as if she were an open book.

Mike shot her a look, "I'd hand my badge in if I couldn't figure out what was going on when you say half of it in your sleep." Alex stamped her eyes closed in embarrassment, she hadn't even considered that she talked in her sleep. Mike watched her for a moment, waiting till she opened her eyes again and was feeling less self-concious. "I don't know why you think your sister would take the baby..."

Sighing, Alex softly forced out, "She wouldn't."

"Then what's going on?" Mike asked, insistent.

Alex quickly sat down on the sofa and looked up at him, "I don't know. I think I need my head checked." Her voice was strained from the tears that had she had almost choked on earlier, there was a tense look on her face and Mike immediately sensed something else had happened.

He sat down beside her and gave her a sincere look, "What happened?"

Needlessly, she brushed her hair back before replying, "Jo could tell I was pregnant and she got excited-" with remorse, Alex turned away from Mike's face as she continued, "-and I pushed her away."

Knowing he didn't know everything about what had happened especially with her simple yet emotional response, he asked, "You think you're having this baby for someone else?"

Alex jerked her head to give him a sharp look, surprised at his question and the sudden panic that it envoked around the pit of her stomach. "No."

"No?" He asked, unsure. "Then why are you having dreams that say otherwise?" She shrugged, not knowing the answer to that. Sarcastically thinking that if she had known the answer she wouldn't be in this mess right now. "Look, last time I'm gonna assume that you had to go a hospital and get pregnant by a... needle?"

Alex nodded, "Artifical Insemination."

"Right, so, my point is that didn't happen this time." Mike continued, unable to keep a small cocky smile from appearing on his face, "I seem to remember it happening the old fashioned way." Alex gave him a small smile but it disappeared quickly as he gave her a serious look, one of purpose, "Stop thinking your sister is gonna take the baby. I wouldn't let anybody do that."

After a moments thought Alex said something Mike wasn't expecting, "_Our_ baby."

With a small frown, Mike asked, "What?"

"Our baby." She repeated, "You keep saying _the _baby or the kid."

Mike considered that for a moment, thinking back and then he shrugged, "Sorry, didn't realise I was doing that."

"Well, you are."

He smirked, "Then I guess we're as bad as each other."

"I guess so." Alex agreed, quietly, still in her own thoughts; worrying about her sister and what was going to happen. Mike pulled her to him without hesitation, wrapping his arms around her; holding her quietly, knowing that he had done nothing to convince her but at least he had been right about his suspicions. He just wasn't sure he knew what to do about them. He couldn't be happy about having this baby if she wasn't.

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"I'm gonna call her."

Katie Eames reached for the phone that was resting on the side table but was stopped by the tearful voice of her sister, "Don't!" Katie turned to look back at Jo, tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes. Jo was sitting on the sofa, curled into a ball where she had been since Katie had brought her home. "Just leave her alone."

"Jo, you need to talk to her before this gets out of hand." Katie argued, softly. She walked over to her, and sat down next to her as she put her hand on her arm in a loving, caring way.

Jo snorted, "It already is out of hand. Did you see her face?" Jo felt fresh tears form in her eyes, "She was so-so frightened of me. I've never seen Alex frightened of anybody, but she is of me. Why?" She looked at Katie, demanding an answer.

Katie shook her head to say she didn't have the answer, "That's why I think you should speak to her, she'll know."

"No." Jo said, with determination. Katie fell quiet, unsure of her to deal with Jo, knowing she could be as stubborn as Alex when she wanted to be. Ever since Alex had been pregnant for Jo and gave birth to Nathan, it seemed the two of them had become inseperable; sharing a bond over a certain blond boy and diapers. It always made Katie smile when she saw them together as friends especially when she remembered how much they disliked each other when they were growing up. Jo being the girl who wore dressed and pig tails, getting excited over boys and make up whilst Alex had been the tomboy who preferred to climb trees and hang out with boys, always wanting to play cops and robbers like "Daddy" did.

After thinking deeply about what had happened, Jo suddenly asked, "Is this about Nathan?" Sitting up and looking Katie directly in the eyes. "Is it? I mean, I know I got excited but it's not like before."

Katie frowned, "Well that wouldn't make sense, Jo. She isn't pregnant with Nathan, or anybody else's baby. Why would she think that?"

Thinking out aloud, Jo continued, "But maybe she's confused between the two?"

"Alex? Confused?" Katie asked, with a slight smirk, knowing that was impossible. "Maybe this is just hormones? Maybe you're looking deeper than it really is?"

Jo shrugged, "Maybe." Jo felt a slight pang of jealousy over the fact that Alex could actually _have _the pregnancy hormones and she had to internally berate herself for once again being stupid over the fact she couldn't bear children. "Look, why don't you go spend time with Jack like you planned, I'll stay with the kids." Jo pointed towards the bedroom where Katie's two children slept along with Nathan.

Katie hesitated, "No, I think it would be best if I stay with you."

"No, no, no." Jo argued, waving her hand dismissively, standing up as she tried to make herself look positive. "I'll be fine. You're right, I'm over-analysing the whole thing. Alex will probably call me tomorrow to say it was all part of some bizarre mood swing."

"You sure?" Katie asked, not wanting to leave Jo if she was still upset.

Jo nodded, "I'm sure. Go. Go see if it'll work with that ex of yours."

Katie smiled, "Alright, but I'll be back later." Katie quickly grabbed her coat and gave Jo a kiss on the cheek before leaving the house. Jo sighed as she watched her leave, with one final look at the phone she decided on not calling Alex. Instead she walked back over to the sofa and curled into it, hoping to sleep as she kept one ear open for any sign of waking children.

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Bobby was surprised when he heard a grunt and a thud; he looked up to see his partner now occupying her once empty seat, with a tired look on her pale face. It was morning and for the first time in a few weeks Alex was early for work. "Eames? A-are you alright?" He asked, tentatively.

She was surprised by his question but she shrugged, "I'm fine." She then quickly added as an after thought, "You?"

He nodded, "I'm good." He watched her as she tried to settle into her chair.

Taking deep breaths she tried to concentrate on her work and not on her feelings; she didn't want to dwell on those issues, not here and not in front of her partner. She knew he'd be able to see right through her, it was only a matter of time but she didn't want to face his questions right now. She wished that she had heeded her mothers advice and spoken to Jo about it before. She felt nausea rise from her stomach and she had to cover her mouth for a moment, which just caused Bobby to become concerned again, "Are you sure you're okay?"

She waved her other hand at him, trying to say it was nothing and that everything was normal, "Morning sickness." She whispered, not wanting everyone to hear her, especially since it seemed no one needed any help from her in figuring out that she was pregnant; they all seemed to coming to that conclusion on their own just fine.

He nodded and then quickly added, "How come you're here early if you're-" he lowered his voice, "-sick?"

Alex shrugged, not wanting to reveal how much she couldn't sleep or how much she was sick with worry, "I wanted to get a head start on my reports, if I don't keep up Ross will want to know why."

"I-I'm sure he'd be understanding if he knew why." Bobby reasoned, knowing that Ross and Alex had a good working relationship.

"Maybe, maybe not." Alex sighed, not wanting to go any further into the conversation. She lowered her head back down to her laptop and flipped it open, hoping he'd take the hint and stop asking her questions. She just wanted to take her mind of things by getting on with her work. She managed to get a good half hour of work done before her cell began vibrating in her pocket, she jumped from the shock of the movement, feeling slightly woozy from the jolt. She closed her eyes and pulled the cell out of her pocket, quickly answering it and placing it to her ear. "Eames." She opened her eyes to see Bobby looking at her with a face full of concern at her reaction. "I-she did?" Alex spoke into the phone, ignoring her partners face. "I will call her later." After she said bye to the person on the other end she snapped the cell shut and dropped it onto her desk before standing up and rushing towards the bathroom.

Bobby watched her go and looked back at her forgotten cell phone.

Alex was leaning against the stall door, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm the intense and fierce morning sickness that had just overwhelmed her in the squad room. Her mothers phone call had unsettled her as well, finding out that Jo had gone to her for advice and now it seemed poor Maggie Eames was now in the middle of her two daughters.

She wasn't sure if she could face Jo yet, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Her dreams were still vivid at night and strong enough to eat at her during the day. The only thought that gave her some comfort was Mike's words from last night; this baby was theirs and had been concieved the 'old fashioned way'.

----------------

Maggie Eames allowed the three year old, Nathan, to sit on her knee as his mother was sat on the opposite side of the room; staring into space as she tried to understand what had happened yesterday. "Jo, she said she'd call you." Maggie tried to soothe her daughters worries.

Jo shook her head, "I don't think she will."

The doorbell ringing forced them both to look towards the door. Johnny Eames came into the living room to specifically answer the door. He wasn't sure what was going on but he was certain it was a mother-daughter thing and he'd decided to stay out of the way. He opened the door to reveal Katie; Jo felt disappointed as she had expected the caller to be Alex, she had wanted it to be her. A face-to-face conversation was what she wanted right now, she couldn't believe for an instant that Alex regretted having a baby for her, she thought it was the greatest gift she'd ever been given.

"Hey, I just came to pick up Janey and David." Katie explained, walking into the living room. Taking in the sullen look on Jo's face and the worried look on her mothers.

"Yeah, Jo said they called you into work last night." Johnny said, making conversation, wanting to relieve the tension from the room.

Katie looked at Jo but her confusion was quickly covered up, "Yeah, they did." Katie nodded.

Johnny sighed, "I wish you'd get a different job." He took up a seat next to his wife, patting Nathan on the head in that way that Grandfather's do.

"Yeah, well, it pays the bills." Katie replied, softly, glancing at Jo with worry. Eric walked into the room holding a plate of fries. "You really are here all the time."

Eric shrugged, taking a mouthful, "Yeah, so?" After swallowing the fries he looked at Jo, "Is this about yesterday?" Jo looked at him with a stern yet unhappy look on her face, "I'm sure Alex didn't mean anything by it." Katie shot Eric a look that was supposed to tell him to shut up but it didn't work.

"What happened yesterday?" Johnny asked, remembering how he'd found them all crowded in his basement.

With a shrug, Eric replied, "Well Jo got excited about the baby and Alex... didn't."

His reponse was met by a scolding from the three women; Maggie, Katie and Jo, "Eric!"

Johnny frowned, both at Eric's words and the girls reaction, "What baby?"

"You don't know about the baby?" Eric asked, shocked and confused himself. He felt physical pain when Katie slapped him up the back of his head.

"What baby?" Johnny repeated, looking directly at his wife, who clearly knew something he didn't.

"What?" Eric asked Katie, "I thought he knew."

Katie sighed at the stupidity of her younger brother, "You can be so dense sometimes, do you know that?"

Eric smirked, "Yes, I can be, but I really thought Dad knew." Eric looked at his father, who was still looking at his wife with a hard look on his face. "I'm sorry, Dad." As the penny dropped for Johnny, he looked back towards Jo who was still sitting silently in her thoughts. He sighed as he realised what was going on, he'd seen it coming when Alex had agreed to the surrogacy in the first place. He knew his youngest daughter well enough to know she'd bottle everything up until it got too much for her to handle; he did eventually start to think that she'd actually dealt with it, now it just seems she'd buried it deeper than everything else.

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TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about the delay, but here is chapter 6. Thank you for the reviews, I really really appreciate them and each one makes me smile.

**Grace Under Pressure**

Excited voices filled the room like a wave, no single conversation could be made out by the observer in the room; Maggie Eames. In one ear was her husband, John, as he spoke to Mike. In the other ear was white noise but the topic was the same; Alex and the impending arrival of another baby.

"Is this where you, uh, give me a lecture about getting your daughter pregnant?" Mike asked, with a small yet unsure grin on his face, "Because if so, I'd like to opt out of _that_ conversation."

John chuckled at the younger man, "No, son, no lecture."

Mike smirked, "Beautiful."

"Just a promise you won't walk away." As if on cue, the whole room fell silent, leaving Mike wondering how everyone knew when to do such a thing. He could feel himself go hot under the collar as he felt pressured under the scrutiny of the Eames family.

Mike looked at John with his best serious expression, the best one he could muster under so many piercing eyes, "I promise." Mike knew he'd already made this promise to her, and although he couldn't completely understand why he was having to promise her father (and her family) he didn't feel he had a choice but do so. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, he forced the best smile he could and John grinned.

"Good. That's all I needed to hear."

"I can't believe that _another_ baby is gonna be arriving." Eric suddenly announced, wanting to take the pressure away from Mike. "Seriously, how many can one family have?"

"Don't look at me." John smirked, "You lot are the ones that keep popping out kids." Everyone laughed and the volume level steadily increased again. Mike felt himself let out that breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

Maggie, the only one in the room who had been silent, spoke to John in a hushed voice, "Do you think they are talking up there?" Her index finger aimed toward the ceiling but not anywhere near where the two women actually were, it didn't matter because her husband understood completely.

He sighed, "I don't know. I doubt it."

"If you don't think they're talking, why are you putting her through this?" Mike asked, not caring that he was technically bumping into somebody else's conversation. John picked up on the fact that he said 'her' and not 'them'. John knew Mike would have had more insight into what was going through his daughters head but he also knew that this was the best way for them to talk; both women were too stubborn for their own good.

Another sigh and he said, "Because it's better for them to try and talk about it. I'd hate for them seperate over some misunderstanding."

Mike fell silent, he could understand what her father was saying but a part of him disagreed with it; Alex was too emotional lately, he could only assume it was the hormones, and he was worried that this kind of talk would only aggravate the situation more. Mike was more inclined to let them both seperate for a while and cool down.

--------------

It was intense; the atmosphere clung to their lungs as they both tried desperately to get out of this situation. Neither one of them finding any way out of the room their father had placed them in.

As soon as Johnny Eames found out about Alex's pregnany and subsequent upset between her and Jo, he had immediately called her up and asked her to come over under the pretense of dinner and a father-daughter conversation. Now, she was sat with Jo in their old bedroom as they had been forced to talk about the issue and get the facts straight before it got out of hand.

Problem number 1 - they were not talking.

Problem number 2 - they didn't want to talk.

Alex wasn't sure if she even understood what was going with herself, how could she be expected to explain it all to her sister? Jo didn't want to hear any confirmation of all the dreadful thoughts that had loomed in her mind since the night before. Every scenario had rushed through her mind as she tried to understand and explain what had happened.

Jo glanced at Alex, unexpectedly making eye contact that forced her to quickly look away. "I-I don't know what he wants me to say." Jo spoke, quietly, surprised by the sound of her voice as it pierced the atmosphere.

The sound of Jo's voice forced Alex to drop her gaze and look at her knees instead, shaking her head, "Me neither."

"You're the one who needs to." Jo quietly argued, her soft voice was an unusual sound compared to the usual happy and bubbly voice that she always used.

Taking a deep breath, Alex sighed, "Well, I don't know what to say." It was the sentence that ended the brief conversation, both women sat on the beds in silence; afraid to speak up for it bring out revelations that they wanted to remain buried. The sound of the house creaking and voices downstairs was the only thing they could hear, it was the only thing they wanted to hear. Enough beats passed to wear out a drum before Alex finally dared to open her mouth, "I've been having this-" she paused, as Jo looked up at her with an anxious expression, "-this dream about... you."

A shocked look flickered across Jo's face before it was replaced with a deep frown, "Me?"

Alex felt a sharp pain of guilt as Jo sat with a horrified look on her face, "Well, no, not you."

With one eyebrow raised, she asked, "Not me?" Jo was utterly confused, Alex wasn't making any sense.

"Not exactly, you. It was-" she'd hoped that when she started speaking, it would all come flowing, now she was struggling to find words instead, "-about the baby."

"What have I got to do with your baby?"

Somehow Jo's innocent question managed to knock a small amount of sense into Alex's mind, realising she couldn't do this without needlessly upsetting Jo, she tried to backpeddle, "I'm saying this all wrong."

"You're not saying anything." Jo argued, calmly, "At least, nothing that makes sense to me." Alex sighed and immediately looked towards the door, trying desperately to think of a way out of this situation. With enough sharpness to cause Alex to turn back to her, Jo asked, "Why don't you tell me why you pushed me away last night? You made me feel terrible."

Alex winced, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, tell me what's going on." Jo suddenly felt confident in this conversation, her volume level picking up as she sat straighter on the bed and looked directly at Alex. "All night I've been coming up with crazy scenarios and odd explanations, none of them work.. and look at you; you look exhausted and ill, Alex!" A million emotions hurried across Alex's face as she tried with prevail to think of the best response; she just sighed instead, opting instead to say nothing because she knew that she had a tendancy to say the wrong thing or speak the truth with a sharp tongue without thought. "I guess I have to start throwing my theories at you instead."

"Jo, please, just leave it. I-It doesn't matter. It's just a dream!" Alex argued, unfolding her arms, trying to steady the wave of nausea that chose that moment to hit her. "People have dreams every day, they don't mean anything-"

"-It's about Nathan, isn't it?" Jo asked, completely disregarding everything she had been saying, interrupting her abruptly. Alex stamped her mouth shut. "I might not be a cop, Alex, but I was raised around the them the same way you were. I can interpret."

With a hard look, Alex asked, "Oh?" Jo nodded, "Yeah, I'd really like to hear your interpretation since I don't even know what it means."

"You think I'm gonna take the baby like I supposedly did with Nathan?" Jo's voice portrayed her pain at the very thought that this could even be close to the truth; she'd almost been physically sick when the idea had formed in her head in the first place. It only did so when she remembered the horror on Alex's face as her hand was pushed away. "How can you think that?"

Alex shook her head, "I don't think-"

"-I _never_ pressured you into that. I tried so hard to make sure I understood everything you felt so that you wouldn't feel hurt." Jo stood up, obviously angry.

The emotional charge passed from one woman to the other as Alex equally stood up, feeling a sudden urge to defend herself. "Well then you missed one!" The sharp, tight and acidic words were shouted out louder than she'd expected. It was enough to bring them both to an emotional stand still.

One painfully long beat later, Jo's strained voice filled the room, "Which was that?" Alex lowered herself back onto the bed because of both defeat and nausea, she lowered her gaze before allowing herself even a moment to glance back up at Jo. "Tell me."

She knew tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, she knew it from the way her vision blurred and her chest tightened. "I don't wanna hurt you."

"I-" Jo started but stopped, she headed towards the door with her shoulders slightly slumped. Turning back to Alex she swallowed harshly, "It's too late for that."

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Jo stormed down the stairs; a thunder raging inside and it was one that needed to find a way to be released. Her heart ached at all the painful thoughts that raced through her mind, almost giving her emotional whiplash as she tried to calm herself enough to at least get out of the house and away from any embarrassment.

She didn't find herself so lucky when she felt someone pull her back around by her arm; it was Mike, with a stern look on his face, "That's it?"

Jo looked at him, blinked and turned to see several members of her family watching them; judging by the shocked looks on their faces they hadn't expected him to stand up and chase after her. Looking back at Mike, she frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You find out what's going on and you _leave_?" Mike was incredulous and about 2 seconds away from exploding with anger. He'd spent all night listening to Alex tell him how much Joanna Eames was a better person than the way her dreams portrayed her to be and that she wasn't capable of anything remotely like that but he wasn't exactly witnessing the angelic vision that had been painted to him.

"I didn't find out anyt-"

"-She needs you!" Mike interrupted, torn between pulling Jo back upstairs or leaving her and running up those stairs to see Alex.

Jo violently shook her head, "No. Alex doesn't need anybody, that's her problem!" Jo shot everyone a hard look, "Now, if you don't mind I have to go fetch my son from nursery!" Jo pulled her out of his grip and rushed towards the door before anyone could stop her.

Mike stood there and watched as she slammed the door; his face was hard as he battled with the anger that cursed through him for a moment, he didn't want to hit the wall in front of Alex's family, that wouldn't do well for future family relations. Without giving eye contact to any of them, he quickly turned and bolted up the stairs to where he knew Alex was, or at least where he hoped she was.

He reached the bedroom that he knew to be her old bedroom and stopped short of opening the door. He heard a familiar sound and winced, looking toward the bathroom he sighed. With intentioned paces he walked down the hall and opened the bathroom door to find her, once again, bent over and painfully heaving. Noticing that she was no longer alone, she managed to look up at him with enough dignity intact. "Alex?"

"I-I'm okay." She grabbed hold of the sink to pull herself off the floor, hoping desperately that it was with more grace than it seemed to her. It was obvious she'd failed when Mike took hold of both her arms and helped her up. "I'm fine." She loosened herself from his grip, feeling slightly embarrassed by her weakness but she still gripped the sink for support. "I just lost my stomach because I haven't eaten for a while. I'm fine."

Mike's anger dissipated, only to be replaced with worry and concern, "You should eat then. Your mom mentioned something about food-"

"-I don't want any." Alex walked past him, holding onto the wall for support and she independently walked back to the bedroom and lowered herself gently onto the bed. Knowing that the whole way Mike's troubled gaze was fixed onto her. He even followed her onto the bed, crawling next to her and making it so that he faced her and she couldn't get away, not that she would try.

"Alex?" He asked, tentatively trying to broach the subject despite the fact they both knew it was coming. "What happened with Jo?"

She closed her eyes and tried desperately to calm the queasiness inside, as she trembled unwillingly as she fought the tears that fell anyway. "I said-" she choked back a sob, willing it to not come out, "-the wrong thing, I didn't even get to explain." Mike wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, wrapping himself around her like a shell. "I don't - don't even know how to explain it. I feel so-" she clenched her fists into tight balls, "-pathetic!" Still refusing to let the tears fall, she tightly squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would stem the flow, "I couldn't have made more of a mess of this even if I tried." Mike sighed, unsure of what to say, he just tightened his hold on and kissed the part of her head he could reach with ease. A couple of minutes passed before Alex finally managed to take a deep breath and speak without choking on tears, "I shouldn't have tried to talk to her about it, she was right, it had nothing to do with her."

"She was in the dream..." Mike commented, knowing that that was true.

Alex nodded, he could feel the way her face brushed up against his chest, "Yes, but it's not just about her." She sighed and continued after a beat, "I never told them." Her quiet, soft voice caused him to pull back so he could see her face.

"What didn't you tell them?" He asked, almost demanding but not pressuring. He knew that she was referring to her family.

"I never told anyone." She continued, not answering the question.

Mike sighed, "Never told them what?"

"Last time I had-" she gave him direct eye contact but it wasn't out of confidence, it was out of raw fear at exposing herself even to him, "-post partum depression."

Mike had to really think about what she'd said; he had heard of it but he wasn't sure what it was, he only knew one thing, "That doesn't sound good."

A sarcastic amused snort escaped her throat as she looked down at his chest, avoiding his gaze, "No, not really."

"Why didn't you tell them?" Mike asked.

Alex shrugged as if it was no big deal but they both knew it was, "Because they were so happy and I didn't want to upset anyone." Mike just stared at her; deeply concerned about her, "I was treated for it and it's okay."

Mike shook his head, sitting up he sighed and rubbed the space above his brow, "This isn't okay." He turned to look down at her, "None of this makes sense to me, maybe because I'm not a woman, who knows? But I just don't quite get what's wrong here." He took a breath as she sat up to be face-to-face with him, "I'm probably being dense but I don't see the connection between the dreams, the tears and the depression." He held the top of her arms and looked at her with intent, "You need to realise that it won't be going down the way it did before."

Alex snorted, "Then knock some sense into me because I think I need it." Mike smiled and raised his arm as if he were about to hit her over the head, instead he used the ball of his hand to gently tap her; so gentle she didn't really feel it, she just rolled her eyes at him and sarcastically commented with a simple, "Thanks."

"You know, I'm not Freud but maybe your dreams are about something else." Mike suggested, his tone of voice was light despite the heavy topic.

"Maybe." Alex sighed, "But I refuse to sit and analyse dreams."

Mike smirked, "I wasn't about to suggest a shrink."

"Good." Alex gave him a slight smile, telling him her nausea was passing somewhat, "I would have had to hit you over the head for real if you did." He gave a small laugh to show his amusement but it didn't last long because Alex continued with a more serious tone, "I don't need to see one of those, I just need-" she paused whilst she thought of it, "-need to let Jo calm down and then I need to tell her about the... depression."

"That would have been my next suggestion." Mike stated, "Are you sure?"

Alex nodded with a sigh, "I don't want to lose my sister, or my nephew, just because I was being too emotional for my own good."

"I doubt that will happen." Mike commented, and Alex frowned, "Something tells me your dad would just lock you two in a room somewhere until you talk it over."

Alex laughed and Mike smiled at the sound, "Yeah, family is very _very_ important to him."

"Why?" Mike asked, genuinely confused at why family would actually mean so much to one person. He certainly couldn't understand why John Eames insisted everybody in this family spoke to each other and remained on good, close terms.

Shrugging, she replied, "I guess it's because his family wasn't so... close. His mom always did disappearing acts whenever she got too upset about anything, his sister was a drunk since, well, forever and his dad always had to fight hard to keep them together, and that's only the things he's told us."

"So," Mike started, "-you're saying that even your picture perfect family has problems?"

"Picture perfect?" Alex shook her head, amused at the phrase, "Every family has problems, we just hide ours."

Mike smiled, pulling her back towards him and holding her gently, "So, when will you talk to Jo?" He asked, after they sat quietly for a moment.

Alex shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well, when you do I will be there." Mike said that with enough determination and finality that it forced Alex to look up at him in surprise. "I promised I'd be there."

With a smile, Alex said, "I meant for the labor, Mike."

He nodded, "I know what you meant. I'm adjusting the promise slightly to include this."

"Just incase I need someone there pick up the pieces?" She asked, hoping she didn't sound as worried as she thought she did; aiming for amusement instead.

"Something like that." Mike agreed. In truth, he wanted to be there to protect both her and his child, suddenly feeling the instinct of protection kick in. He didn't want her dreams to come true anymore than she did, and he'd be damned if was going to let her keep getting upset over the issue. As far as he was concerned, his promise to be there was for the whole pregnancy and he wasn't going to let anything stop him from keeping that promise.

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TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for every review. :) I truly appreciate them. Every comment helps and I know, wasu, that it's emtional (thanks for the comment) but this is just how I'd see it happening. It's definitely emotional to write.

**Podie1 **- Thank you, and Jo's behaviour will be explained soon. :)

**Grace Under Pressure**

There was something bothering him about the way it was stuck. Jammed, untouchable and totally irreplaceable. Mike Logan couldn't believe the way everything seemed to be going wrong lately; he planted his fist into the offending object, cursing out aloud about how useless it was. Funny how everything would kick you when you were down.

"Do you need a hand with that, Logan?"

Mike turned around to see Bobby Goren standing with a foam cup of coffee in one hand, his brown leather portfolio in the other with his coat draped over his arm. The curious yet amused look on his face made Mike grimace, "Gee thanks, Goren, but I got it."

"Are you sure?" Bobby asked, stepping next to Mike, looking down at the problem before him. He seemed to genuinely want to help but Mike wasn't buying it.

"I'm sure. It's stuck. I lost a bit of money. I'll get over it." Mike told him, each small sentence sounded broken up and disjointed, almost like he didn't really know what to say. The tough bravado male inside him did not want to accept help for releasing trapped candy.

Bobby looked at the vending machine and the trapped packet of skittles. "I'm not sure Eames would be quite so calm about it."

Mike blinked and looked at him with a straight expression, "What makes you think they were for her?"

Bobby chuckled, "It's skittles, you don't like them."

"True." Mike shrugged and punched the vending machine one more time. It was late afternoon and it seemed that Alex's morning sickness was finally starting to dissipate somewhat, which only seemed to bring her sweet tooth back with vengence. It had been over two weeks since she'd spoken to Jo, ever since she'd tried to contact her sister there had been no such luck; it seemed Joanna Eames did not want to return any of Alex's calls. The whole thing was starting to anger Mike almost to breaking point, he couldn't understand why Alex's sister was being so upset about the whole thing. As far as Mike was concerned, Jo should have been the one trying to get into contact with Alex to apologise for not offering her reassurance; not that he'd tell Alex he thought that.

Bobby, who had been caught up in work lately had barely spoken to Mike at all, "I hear congratulations a-are in order, Logan."

Mike frowned for a moment before he realised what Bobby was referring to, "Oh! Yeah, thanks buddy." Mike said, trying to be nonchalant about it, calm without revealing any emotion about it at all; it wasn't anyones business as far as he was concerned. "She told you?"

"I-I noticed." It had been two weeks since Bobby had asked Alex about it, but he'd been unsure of what Mike's thoughts were on having a child so he'd kept quiet about it.

Mike winced, "I guess you would notice." As Mike started to walk away the packet of skittles dropped to the bottom of the vending machine. "Yes!" Bobby chuckled as Mike bent down to pick the packet out of the machine. As he stood up he said, "I loosened it." Trying to sound smug. Bobby just nodded his agreement, not wanting to bring up gravity or the fact that he could have paid for another and buy Alex two packets rather than using violence to solve his problem.

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She took a deep breath and tried to ensure the quivering nerves she felt remained locked up inside, invisible the outside world. It seemed to be working; Danny Ross stood up from behind his desk and walked round with a slight, unusually happy, spring in his step. "Congratulations." He beamed, a smile gracing his face.

Alex half-smiled in returned as he fatherly tapped her arm in excitement and happiness. "Thank you."

"I'll get straight on looking for a temporary partner for Goren."

Inwardly, Alex winced. Outwardly, she smirked, knowing that would be what Ross expected her to do. "I'm sure he'll look forward to that." She told him, amused.

"I'm not so sure his temporary partner would think so." Ross argued, softly, the smile remaining. The news of a child was always good news to him, although he was having a hard time picturing Mike Logan changing diapers.

Alex sighed, "Hopefully the detective you pick will have the guts to stick with it."

Ross nodded in agreement and then took in Alex's tired and weary expression, "Are you alright?"

She shrugged, dismissively, "I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping properly."

"Yeah, I remember my ex-wife had some problems with sleeping when she was pregnant." Ross told her, offering empathy in the second degree.

Alex smirked, "Well, I'm sure she made sure you suffered just as much."

"How did you know?" Ross asked just before realisation dawned on him, "Ah." He looked out the window of his office to see Mike returning to his desk, "I'm sure you'll make him suffer just as much as I did."

She grinned, "I'm sure." Alex then quickly turned to leave his office before the small talk could continue. She usually didn't mind talking to Captain Ross but ever since the upset with her sister she was finding it more difficult to keep her sarcastic and business-like attitude up all the time and she didn't want anyone to doubt her ability to work or think that being pregnant meant she was less able than others. The last thing she wanted was to be viewed as the emotional one. She couldn't remember this being quite so hard last time.

Alex closed the office door and started for her desk only to be stopped by Mike calling out her name, she looked at him to see him standing by his desk and motioning her over. Walking to him so she was stood next to him, "I told him." Alex said, knowing that Mike was only curious about what she had been doing in Ross' office due to the fact she'd said she was going to tell him.

"Yeah? I thought you might have chickened out." Mike told her with a grin.

She resisted the urge to slap his arm, "Well, I was considering making you tell him."

"Oh?" He asked before smirking, "I can just see that, _Captain here's my report, oh and uh, by the way I got one of your lead detectives pregnant._" This got a chuckle out of her and Mike smiled.

"Eames?" Bobby's voice carried over the room and Alex turned to see him stood next to his desk with an urgent look on his face, "We got a call."

Alex quickly turned to Mike and grimaced before heading over to Bobby and quickly putting her detective head on. Mike started to watch her leave before he realised his partner was talking to him. "...Hello? Earth to Logan?"

"Wheeler? What is it?" He quickly sat down.

"I was just saying congratulations." Megan told him with a smile, nodding her head towards Alex, who was walking out the exit of the squad room.

"You know too?" Mike asked, silently wondering if anyone had actually been informed; except for Captain Ross, everybody seemed to be finding out on their own accord.

Megan shook her head, "No. I just overheard the final part of your conversation."

Mike knew exactly which sentence she was referring to but he looked at her with one brow raised, "Oh. You know you shouldn't listen to other peoples conversations, Wheeler, it's rude."

Megan smirked, "I was sat here the whole time, it was a little difficult not to. Besides, it's obvious."

Mike snorted, "You're telling me!"

"Well, anyway-" Megan said, with a small smile, "-congratulations. My sympathies to Eames for having to deal with two Logan's now." Mike resisted the urge to toss his pen at her, only deciding to keep from doing so when he realised he only had one.

------------------

It called to her. Sat so innocently in it's cradle yet it stuck out like a sore thumb; everything else in the room was almost a total blur as she became transfixed on an inanimate object, trying to resist the urge to pick it up and do as the little voice inside her head told her to do.

But she had listened to it a few too many times.

Yet she felt herself reach out for the phone and gently pull it from it's standing position, asking her to dial Jo's number and try again. Sarcastically, she thought to herself that she could probably just hit redial.

"What you doing?" Mike asked, walking into the living room. The sound of his voice startled her slightly, she quickly placed the phone back where it belonged and slowly turned to him.

"Hey." She greeted him as he sat down beside her, holding a sandwich in one hand and a coffee in another. He kissed her gently in return.

"You calling your sister?"

Alex shrugged, "I was thinking about it." Her voice was thick with emotion but she was trying desperately to act as if nothing was wrong.

Mike sighed, putting his mug down before he spilled the hot liquid on her, "Don't you think you've tried calling her one too many times? When is it her turn?"

"What if she never calls and I've lost my sister?" She asked, turning to him, worry fueling her argument. "Or my nephew." Mike couldn't be sure but he felt that losing her nephew would hurt her more. He knew she always referred to him as _nephew_ or _the kid_ but deep down she must have felt like she'd lost her own child and he didn't want to see her suffer because she'd lost touch with her sister and lost her only connection to that child.

Trying to sound reassuring he said, "I'm sure it won't come to that."

"How can you be so sure? I'm not even sure." Alex continued on, "I should never have let it get this far."

Mike frowned, "You say that like it's your fault."

"It _is _my fault." Alex argued, feeling a sudden urge to hit something but didn't act on it.

"Yeah, well, I don't think so. I think your sister could have been a little bit more understanding."

With raised eyebrows she looked at him with shocked surprise, "It sounded like I was accusing her of something awful. I'm surprised she didn't cut ties to me there and then." Alex raised her voice, bitterly.

"Alex, she hasn't spoken to you in two weeks. What does that tell you?" Mike asked, turning to so they were almost nose-to-nose. He hadn't meant to start a heated discussion with her but if they were going to have one he wasn't just going to sit there, chewing on bread. The sudden exhiliration of an argument quickly waned down and disappeared as they both began to draw deep breaths; Alex sighed and looked down at her knees, realising that for all intents and purposes, Jo had cut of ties with her. When she felt a lone tear start to trickle down her face she lifted her hand to wipe it away, only to be stopped by Mike's hand as he used his thumb to stroke it off her cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" She launched herself onto him, latching onto his torso like it was the end of the world.

"I don't want to lose him." She mumbled into his crook of his neck.

Mike could do nothing but hold her whilst soft tears slowly fell down her face; for the first time in two weeks she wasn't concealing how much this hurt her. He also wished he knew where her sister lived so he could go knock some sense into her; even though he knew that Alex probably wouldn't like him to do that, he wished he could help in some way.

With effort he placed his sandwich on the table, not caring to find anything to put it on. He'd lost his hunger for food the moment she'd wrapped herself around him. Mike leaned back into the sofa, pulling her with him and shifting her weight so that he could breath and hold her more comfortably. "I don't think you'll lose your nephew." He told her, his voice softly bringing her back into reality. "Surely she'll come to her senses?"

Alex snorted, sniffling slightly, "I don't know." Her dejected tone of voice and the sound of defeat was almost like a punch, a kick in the stomach as he felt his ability to assure her rapidly disappear. How can anyone be convinced when they are already admitting defeat?

There was a bell tone and Alex lifted her head up from his chest, they both knew that sound. Mike lifted her off him completely and stood up, "I'll get that." He told grumbled as he did so, annoyed at the interruption of a late night visitor. Alex, feeling too tired to care, lowered herself into the sofa so she could sleep. She couldn't bring herself to even see who this person was. It was probably Bobby and if that were the case she knew this would be work related and thus she didn't want to know. For some reason, the only thing she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sleep.

"Alex?" Mike touched her arm, gently forcing her to look up at him.

All she could see was him and his upside down, yet worried face. "What?" She croaked, surrpised that she'd sounded like a pond creature. Had she fallen to sleep already?

"It's Jo."

Sleep was forgotten as she sat up, almost too fast for her stomach to follow her.

---------

TBC

I couldn't help myself... I had to do a cliffhanger...


	8. Chapter 8

This chapter has been a constant battle, I didn't like the way it started out, I'm not sure about it now but its better than it has been. I've had few RL incidents this week so I apologise for the delay.

**Grace Under Pressure**

_The thick, dense atmosphere was temperary; everyone in the room feeling the need to release held breaths as soon as possible. Joanna Eames had a strange mix of anxiety, happiness and disbelief displaying over her face as she regarded her younger sister with caution. "Am-are-" Jo stuttered. Her husband, Karl, was sat next to her with a similar look upon his own face. _

_Alex smiled, trying her hardest to put on the bravest face she owned, "I'm sure." _

_"I don't-" Jo started, stopped as her breath caught before starting again. "I don't want you to feel I pressured you into this. I-I know I'm asking something _huge_ of you Alex." _

_"I'm not sure huge is the right word for it, Jo." Their father spoke up, letting himself be known. _

_Both women glanced at him before returning their attention to each other, "Jo, I don't mind. Besides, it's not like I'm using it any time soon, is it?" Alex asked, with what her father felt was sarcasm to cover up the undercurrent of fear over the prospect of carrying someone else's child, even if it was for her own sister. _

_There was a brief moment of silence, as everyone contemplated the possibilities, their concerns and excitement before Jo sprung from her seat the moment Alex smiled positively. The sound of joy from Jo as she bounced around the room and grabbed hold of her was something Alex would always remember; how much she'd made her sister happy by giving her this gift. _

But now the joy had been replaced with sadness and anxiety. Each emotion tripping over each other as they struggled to the surface in a quest to be expressed. "Jo?" Alex's voice quivered to her slight embarrassment. Jo seemed just as fragile as she, standing a few metres from the sofa with a weary look about her. Alex stood up onto her feet, feeling a need to stand up as if the act of standing would help create a sense of strength around her and help her feel like she wasn't as vulnerable as she appeared to be to herself. "I've been calling you."

Jo nodded, "I know."

Alex looked away for a second as she tried not to think about the fact that her knowing about the calls meant that she'd been ignoring them. At that moment she looked away she could see Mike was standing next to her, keeping his distance but remaining in proximity; ready to protect her the moment she needed it, or at least that's how it looked to her. She wasn't too sure she'd need his protection but something told her she stood no chance of getting Mike to leave the room.

Looking back at Jo, she said, "Oh. Why didn't you call back?"

"I-I needed time, Alex." Jo sighed, "I spoke to Dad last week; he, uh, he seems to think I'm acting childish."

Alex frowned, unsure of why her father would say that and why Jo would tell her that he had said that, "And?"

"And he's right, but that's not the point."

An awkward moment of silence hung in the air for a few beats. Mike shifted from leg to leg, uncomfortable with the whole situation but for some reason he was practically glued to that spot. Jo looked at Alex, Alex looked at Jo. Neither of them choosing to make a move, or make a vocal sound that could start the conversation. Mike could feel his ears ringing as the silence nearly deafened him. "Do you girls plan to have a staring match?" Mike dared to speak, he was certain he was the only one in the room with a functioning voice.

Alex broke eye contact with Jo and turned to Mike, "Why don't you make something to eat?"

Mike pointed at his sandwich.

"Why don't you make something else to eat?"

He got the hint and glanced towards the kitchen before turning back to them, "Fine but I'm within earshot." He then left the room, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to hear them speak for quite a few moments, even if he was within range to hear them.

Feeling like she was choking was enough to force words out of Alex's mouth, "So what brings you here?" She asked, hoping that it didn't sound too harsh, sarcastic or bitter.

Jo offered her a shrug and slight smile, "I wanted to know what it was that I didn't-" she paused, trying not to sound pathetic and failing, "-know."

Alex frowned, not for the first time in her life Jo wasn't making sense.

"You said before that I missed one. One what?" Alex realised what Jo was referring to and closed her eyes for brief moment. "I mean, I tried to make it easy for you so much. I didn't want you to suffer." Jo swallowed, hard. "Did you suffer? Was it that horrible?"

Alex brushed her hair from her eyes and sighed, "No... It wasn't horrible-" she paused, trying to keep herself from losing the control on her emotions, "-until after he was born."

Jo's turn to frown. "I don't understand."

With a disheartened and embarrassed look, Alex replied, "You were there for the whole pregnancy, Jo. But not afterwards." Despite the fact her face still held a frown, Jo was beginning to see what Alex meant. "As soon as he was born, you were gone and I was just... alone."

The words hung in the air, heavily; a strong breeze would fail to shift the tense atmosphere and thick emotion ripping at them both. Jo couldn't speak, she didn't know what to say. For the first time since she'd been given a son, she was realising that there had been a problem, a big one. A problem she'd overlooked; one she shouldn't have. It had never occured to her how empty Alex must have felt, she'd been too wrapped up in the excitement of being a mother, of having a baby for the first time. Something she'd never thought would happen; motherhood.

"I didn't tell you because I-" she paused as she tried to think of the way to word he reasoning, "-I didn't want you to feel guilty."

Jo didn't speak. She just stepped towards the chair and sat down, landing with a thud. It was clear from the look on her face that she was thinking.

"I'm sorry." It was all Alex could think of saying, despite the nagging voice inside telling her that she shouldn't be apologising; it sounded strangely like Mike saying it to her and not her own inner voice.

Jo looked up at Alex with regret and sorrow, "You had post-partum depression, didn't you?" Alex just nodded, "Why didn't you tell me?" Jo raised her voice slightly as new tears started to fall.

"I already told you." Alex replied, choosing not to raise her own voice, "You had a baby and it's what you wanted. It's why I did all that. Why would I tell you something that would ruin it? That would have meant I'd have wasted my time." Jo didn't respond, she just looked down at her hands as they clasped together at her knees. "I saw a doctor, I got over it."

Jo sucked on her lips, trembling and trying not to. "But you got over it on your own."

Alex shrugged, honestly not seeing what difference that would have made.

"You didn't have to. Did _anybody_ know?"

"No." Alex's response was a strong whisper.

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn't as awkward as before. This time it was just quiet reflection. "Dad's right." Jo spoke up after a moment, "I'm an idiot."

Alex looked at her with a slight smile, "He didn't say that." Although she had not been there for the conversation, Alex knew her father and he would never tell any of his children they were an idiot.

"He implied it." Jo told her. "I was too upset about that dream of yours that I didn't really pay attention to what you said. I was just so offended that you thought so little of me."

Alex took a deep breath. "I don't think..."

"Do you really believe I'd just take your baby? I mean, I'll admit that a year after he was born Karl suggested to me that we ask about having a baby brother or sister for Nathan, but I was-" Jo paused, "-reluctant to ask you."

Alex looked at her with one brow raised; this was something she had not even heard about.

"And then Mike came on the scene and I out right told Karl, no." Jo continued, her voice gaining strength from the realisation that they were actually having a conversation and discussing the three year old issue as opposed to burying it. "I guess Nathan will have to settle for a favourite cousin."

Alex smiled, looking down at her almost flat abdomen, her pregnancy barely out of the first trimester and the obvious signs had yet to appear, at least through clothing; Mike had already spotted some favourable changes that he particularly enjoyed. "I don't think you'd take the baby." Alex looked back up at Jo, "I don't know why I keep having that dream but I bet if I were to ask Bobby, he'd come with a thousand explanations for it-" she sighed, "-all of them boring and unusual, I'm sure."

Jo smiled, "Dreams aren't always what they appear to be." Suddenly wondering why she'd not thought of that in the first place.

"See?" Alex gestured towards her, referring to her statement.

Jo slowly stood up from the chair she'd landed herself onto and walked towards the sofa that Alex was sitting on. Without warning, Jo wrapped herself around her and gripped onto her, landing on the sofa next to her. "I'm sorry." Alex was reluctant at first to accept the embrace but she quickly relaxed and held onto her sister as well; suddenly feeling like she could relax.

It was at that moment that Mike returned with a tray of food. Alex pulled away from Jo and stared at the pile of food with curiosity; chips, dips, sandwiches, cake, fruit. "Hungry?" She asked.

Mike shrugged, "No, but I'll bet you are."

Jo suddenly laughed, wholeheartedly. Mike and Alex stared at her with puzzled looks. "You've got him trained well, Alex." Jo told her, when the laughter had subsided a little. Tears still in her eyes but it wasn't certain whether that was from the laughing or from the crying.

"Not trained." Mike argued, once he saw Alex's sly grin. "I'm not some pet. I just thought since she'd not been eating and the two of you had... never mind." Mike collapsed into the sofa, next to Alex and grabbed a sandwich from the tray. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "What? You told me to make food."

Alex turned back to Jo, who was looking at the tray of food and back at Alex, repeatedly. "What?" Alex asked, concerned that the peace they'd seemingly made was gonna be short lived.

"You've not been eating?" Jo asked, "That's my fault, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to keep saying sorry-"

"-but it helps-" Mike said, but the girls chose to ignore him, which didn't bother him at all. He was glad this hadn't ended in tears, he'd kept his ear on them the whole time they'd been speaking. His instinct to protect was still strong.

Alex continued, "-and it was more to do with morning sickness than you."

Jo wiped her eye, "Well, still, I'm sorry." She smiled and then suddenly looked like she'd remembered something, something important and urgent.

"What?" Alex asked, Mike turned to her as well; curious to see what was going on.

"You're gonna have to move house again, aren't you?" Jo asked, sounding like it called for immediate action.

Mike looked at Alex, and then back at Jo, "We hope not."

"Well last I checked this was a one-bedroom house." Jo commented, confused and concerned.

Alex shook her head at her sister, "We're gonna see." It was all Alex could offer at this point because despite the fact it had been briefly mentioned, neither she nor Mike had actually come to any decisions on the matter.

Jo nodded, realising, "Well when you've got that sorted I could give you all of the nursery things you'll need."

"What nursery things?" Mike asked, confused, still tucking into his sandwich.

Jo smirked, "You know, nursery? Crib, basinet, changing bed-"

"-Nathan's things?" Alex asked, concerned. Jo nodded, smiling. "No, Jo, I don't want to take those things from you."

"I already said that Nathan won't be getting a brother or sister, I have no use for them. I even have his stroller and those things for you too." Jo explained, logically. Feeling better, refreshed and her usual energetic self.

"I can't take those-"

Mike jabbed her softly in the arm to stop her from speaking. He looked at Jo with a grin, "We'll take them." Alex shot him an annoyed look. "What? It'll save money, besides she already said she won't be using them."

Alex looked at him with a small smile before turning to Jo and nodding to say she agreed with her idea. Jo squealed with delight and once again gave her sister a tight embrace, "I'm gonna be an auntie again!" A honking horn from outside forced Alex to jolt slighly from the shock and for Jo to bounce up from the sofa.

"What?" Alex asked, confused by her reaction.

"I totally forgot I left Karl outside." Jo sheepishly replied. "I best go before he gets too aggravated to drive, you know what he's like."

Alex chuckled, and stood up to say goodbye to her sister. Only as she did that she suddenly felt extremely light headed, colours in the room began to blur together and as her vision disappeared altogether she flopped back down to the sofa, to the shock of Mike and Jo. Mike lifted her up and laid her down on the sofa lengthways, swallowing the last of his sandwich just in time. "What was in the food, Mike?" Jo teased, knowing the reason for Alex's fainting spell and having no need for concern.

Mike smirked, "Somehow I doubt a decent ham sandwich is enough to bring on another fainting spell." After a few seconds, Alex's eyes began to flutter open and he smiled down at her, "You know, there is no need to get dramatic." Jo sniggered.

"Sorry." Alex muttered, still feeling a little lightheaded. Karl honked his horn again, the sound was harsh and desperate.

"Oh boy." Jo sighed, "I best go." She walked over to Alex and came down to the right level, "Are we okay?"

Alex smiled, "We are." Jo hugged her one last time before standing up and bolting out the door to face her unhappy and unimpressed husband. Mike watched her leave and then turned to Alex who was rubbing her forehead. He sat down on the edge of the sofa and looked at her with a very serious expression on his face.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

No longer was she smiling, she just shrugged, "I'll let you know if I have anymore dreams."

-----------------

TBC


End file.
